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WGO Handbook on Diet and the Gut_2016_Final

World Digestive Health Day
WDHD – May 29, 2016
GREAT SIGNIFICANCE OF LATEST PAN AMERICAN
HEALTH ORGANIZATION NUTRIENT PROFILE MODEL TO PREVENT
GROWING OBESITY INCIDENCE, continued
ing. In fact, all these features may explain why handmade
meal preparations are being replaced by “processed” and
“ultra-processed” food. Consequently, many traditional culinary
customs are gradually extinguishing.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) met recently
to find new resources to tackle the concerning health consequences
of this nutritional transition on the American population.
The PAHO Nutrient Profile Model was formulated to
cover all countries in the American region. It aims to involve
all governments in making crucial decisions to create environments
conducive to healthy eating.
Some of its most remarkable strategies include:
• Preventing unhealthy food consumption.
• Quantifying and controlling “critical nutrients” present in
processed food, including: salt, sugar, trans fats, and saturated
fats.
• Warning about “critical nutrients” contained in food products
by adding an information label on the front side of
packaging.
• Establishing specific guidelines for food and beverage consumption
in schools.
• Restricting marketing of unhealthy food and beverages
among children.
• Applying tax policies to limit unhealthy food consumption.
• Avoiding sweeteners in children’s food and beverages,
since repetitive sweet flavor (regardless of calories) stimulates
and defines consumer habits.
These guides claim that implementing new nutritional programs,
saving food health benefits, and combating “ultraprocessed”
food’s harmful effects is urgent for public health.
The PAHO requires countries to inform consumers about
certain “critical nutrients” hidden in packaging and to restrict
confusing messages behind food publicity. They focus as well
on encouraging people to cook and prepare their own fresh
dishes, in an attempt to reinforce traditional flavors and help
regional customs reappear and survive among nutritional
globalization.
In the Americas, sweetened beverage consumption increased
33% between 2000 and 2013. During this period, snacks consumption
also increased 56%. These are only two examples
in a huge field of investigations that show certain predominance
of “ultra-processed” food over “minimally processed”
or “in natura” foods. Dietary energy input provided by “ultraprocessed”
food has flagrantly accelerated during recent
Figure 1.
decades. In 1987, energy input provided by “ultra-processed”
food in Brazil was 19%; this had reached 32% by 2008. Moreover,
in 1938, energy input provided by “ultra-processed” food
in Canada was 24%; by 2001 this had increased to 55%.
Figure (1) shows the evolution of “ultra-processed” food sales
from 1999 to 2013 in 12 countries from Latin America. This
study was conducted by the PAHO in order to estimate “ultraprocessed”
food consumption trends through over the last
few years. Results showed that “ultra-processed” food sales
continuously grew in all countries, with marked elevations in
Uruguay (+145%), Peru (+121%), and Bolivia (+151%).
Thereafter, these consumption trends were analyzed against
obesity growing rates in those countries and significant statistical
association was found.
When epidemiological data is put together, the human metabolic
dialogue between diet and obesity is clearly understood.
Then, taking decisions to fight this problem becomes essential.
Health and education workers, media outlets, and governments
can join efforts to improve the public’s nutritional
status. The PAHO Nutrient Profile Model attempts to serve as
a roadmap in this complex context.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Scrinis G. Nutritionism: The Science and Politics of
Dietary Advice. New York, NY: Columbia University Press,
2013. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2014.02.017.
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